Aksan

Hruzek:Research

Captured Decay

Museum:

Menil in Houston

Dates: May 10, 2013- September 26, 2013

Foreword:

This exhibition has been put together to bring together forgotten spaces to show how they function presently. Through viewing the photography of decaying and dilapidated structures and objects bring a quiet reminder of the history surrounding the beautiful ruins. My purpose is to focus and discern what causes the fascination of a structure or object once it has ruined and become desolate similar to ancient ruins like the Collosseum or Parthenon. Furthermore, to bring to light the fascination with decay of the world around us and lack of human presence in an area.

Focus is placed in society on the ruined structures and bring intrigue to the history. From ancient societies, the most famous and iconic structures are also the most dilapidated. There is a sense of foreboding mystery as to why a place has been abandoned. Humanity has a strange desire to discern and to poke into histories not belonging to them.

I chose to hold the exhibit at the Menil in Houston, Texas due to the environment surrounding the museum. Many neighborhoods and areas in Houston are slowly being converted from abandoned, older buildings to be remodeled into new homes. The beginning stage of this phenomenon is embodied through this exhibition.

Exhibition Essays:

“I am often asked why I choose to photograph these deteriorating buildings and remote places. It took me a while to come up with an answer that made sense, because I am simply to these forgotten spaces. I am interested in the textures of peeling paint, rusting metal, broken glass, and so forth. It comes as a surprise to me that there are so many abandoned spaces that remain in our constantly growing society. In this series, my intent is to show the passersby what is normally overlooked, and to take in the beauty that I see.” -Stephanie Schulz

http://www.aip.org/history/einstein/essay.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/magazine/how-detroit-became-the-world-capital-of-staring-at-abandoned-old-buildings.html?pagewanted=allz

Exhibition Checklist:

Trim size: Coffee table- 11x17

Vertical

Matte Paper

Book Parts:

Front Cover, Foreword, Table of Contents, Essays, images with captions, Exhibition checklist

Typography:

caption/checklist typeface (sans-serif)

display typeface-logo mark, section labels, large type (sans-serif)

paragraph typeface-essays, foreward (serif)

Colors will be neutral, rusts and dark browns, with accents of bright teal or red

It will highlight aspects of the imagery.

Grid Systems:

outside margin: 0.5 in

gutter margin:

top margin:0.5in

bottom margin:0.5in

4 columns per page

width of text column for main text:

main text will not be split into multiple columns on one page.

space between images placed on the same page will vary

Imagery:

CMYK

Photos

both margin and full bleed

Strategy for grouping multiple images will be balancing negative and positive space, possibly mirroring the compositions of one main image in the grouping.

captions: include type of camera, location, year

Schroeder - Research

Stange Research and Content

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Odd Meter: Soundtrack for the Strange:

Late Twentieth Century Prog Music Album Art

The exhibition will include the album artwork from various musicians that are considered progressive or strange. The artwork is mostly surreal and sometimes contains hidden imagery. It will be held in and around the Congress Theater District in Chicago, near the northeast home to progressive music. The exhibition will be held early spring 2014.

The aim will be for a younger open-minded audience, teenaged to thirty-five. We also hope to attract the audience slightly beyond that age range, being fans of earlier progressive styles. The hope is to have the audience feel the true and sometimes inauspicious power of what they usually see in 4.7”x4.7” format. This would give them a better feel for what the album artist and musician were trying to convey.

What is the genre of everyday music? You might say pop, folk, or country, these being the soundtrack of the grocery store or the radio in your workplace. If you are a music fan, you might find these genres boring or predictable. This might mean you prefer genres with more complex composition in the music, this is where progressive music comes in. Aging back to the times of classical and refining with the days of jazz, progressive music has grown to challenge the minds of its listeners. One of most notable sub-genres of progressive music is its progressive rock. Defined by complex time signatures and sometimes unusual melodies, progressive rock has grown a fanbase seeking the strange and avant-garde. Not only is the genre known for its music, but even the most notable musician's albums may not be received as well without the cover art. The cover artwork found with the CD or on the iTunes link can assist the listener with the musician's true intent of the music or story.

This collection holds some of biggest names in progressive rock and cover art of some of their best albums. The focus is on abstract covers sometimes with non-representational imagery. This images vary in color and medium and usually fit to the feel of the music. Usually commissioned by the band, the artist is given free reign to interpret how this music might be visualized. The exhibition also features some well known names such as Robert Venosa and Alex Grey that may appeal to those versed in art.

You might say, why put these pieces in a gallery setting? We have brought these pieces together to blow them beyond their usual 4.7” scale and allow the fan to truly experience the power of the artwork and maybe its effect on the music.  We hope to strengthen and maybe change the listener's outlook on their favorite musicians, approaching the growing fanbase in a different perspective rather than live shows or t-shirts.

With that we welcome you, the strange, to visualize the soundtrack on the cutting edge of music.

Michael Robinson, Creative Director of RealitySandwich, interview with Robert Venosa:

MR: What does the role of Artist mean to you?

RV: It means belonging to a unique, exciting gang of outlaws. It will always be the explorers, artists, poets, curious intellectuals, musicians, and all the other existential samurai who are creatively courageous, who desire to advance their yearnings for higher truth, and who will take the leap of faith into the unknown. This jump can be inspired by many various techniques, including – and in the forefront – visionary art, which helps the observer to transcend base ideas, and enter a world of alternate possibilities. Just look around you - excepting nature, everything you see - the house, the car, the lamp, your computer, the websites, the pre-Colombian sculpture, everything - was first a creative thought, followed by a design, and then made manifest. This has always been the work of the visionary artist. Every artifact or ruin that archeology discovers is the work of some visionary. The art and architecture of every great, or minor, culture, was given its visual power through the artist, and, in fact, culture itself has always been defined through the artist's creativity. The artist has always been the catalyst for change. So the real question might be: What sort of world would we exist in if it weren't for the visionary? However, and in contrast, as long as the visionaries provide the slightest glow of enlightenment, the forces of darkness will be there to attempt to prevent and subdue this affront to their power…unless of course they figure out a way to make money from it, then they will co-opt the elements involved and, acting through lawyers, bankers, generals and politicians, make it government business, illegal or otherwise. Visionary art is subversive in its message to the world, and if the government truly had eyes to see and a brain to decipher, they would recognize the dangers inherent in an art that sheds light and inspiration, and I and my colleagues would be taken away in chains. And that’s exactly what will happen if fascism ever gained the upper hand in this society. Artists and intellectuals are always the first to go. Be that as it may, Visionary art has always been marginalized due to the fact that people only see what their consciousness allows them to see….and Visionary (or Fantastic) art has always manifested content that transcends the normal, plebian state of awareness. This assures that the inherent, somewhat cryptic message of the visionary’s creation will in most cases only be translated by the consciousness of those of higher intellect and spirit, attuned to more universal values, who in turn implement these values on the Earthly plane. The message, however, is also subversive in the sense that the common mind cannot entirely escape the subliminal force planted in the creation that will affect, superconsciously, whomever confronts the art. The form, color, imagery, energy and spirit in the work, contain the seeds of an awakening and, unbeknownst to the observer, the first stages of allowing experience to follow suit. And from experience comes knowledge, followed ultimately by wisdom.

And so the battle to shed the light goes on – through music, art and all the other universal creative energies – until it becomes a blinding force against the powers of darkness, and an uplifting, liberating source of inspiration to all truth-seekers. This is a powerful space to work from in any and all events…and it sure beats a day job.

MR: What is the driving force behind your creativity?

RV: Anything artistic has always been an allurement and inspirational force for me, starting with the early, great Disney classics, through the revolutionary psychedelic poster art of the ‘60’s, discovering Dali and the Fantastic/Visionary artists, but most of all, through LSD, which awakened my spirit to the dormant creative power that awaited within, allowing me the vision to see the higher levels of art and my potential for creating it as well. Anything that inspires of course creates the spark of motivation that leads to the creative act, and I have been inspired constantly throughout my life, in visits to studios, galleries, museums, theatres, concerts, Burning Man, et al; each one, at times and in their own way, becoming a driving force.

MR: What transformative experiences have influenced your life and how has that manifested in your work?

VR: Psychedelics have probably had the most profound influence on my life and creativity since the zygote selected my gender. They have catapulted me from the most banal of deep-sleep consciousness levels up to the authentic Sun King's hall of light, life and oil paint. After all these years and innumerable sacramental excursions, I believe I've figured out that my true purpose in the scheme of things is to act as a translator - in the language of form and color - of otherworldly, alien forms - architecturally and creature-like. It's a very joyous, empowering objective. The psychedelics, in their infinite wisdom and blessings, have gifted me with art and, in turn, have made my life an ongoing work of art.

There can be little doubt that altered states of consciousness have a profound effect on the creative quality and productive output of the artist. The inspirations are certainly individual and dependent on the artist's ability to retain, filter, and discern what is possible to exteriorize from the phantasmagoria presented by that which altered his consciousness. From my own experience, I would say that there is enough inspiration and visual material from any 1-minute segment of an entheogenic journey to last me a lifetime at the easel...and then I would still suffer frustration in not being able to capture what I really witnessed. In any event, with or without the entheogens, the artist, if he desires to be an architect of spirit-mind form, must ascend from the realm of subconscious symbolic representation, and open himself up to superconscious guidance and experimentation. In this free-fall leap of faith, the artist discovers that the paintbrush is the key that allows entry into the divine mysteries and the true nature of the creative gift.

The high mission of visionary art is, by its illusions, to foreshadow a higher universe reality, to transport the observer to transcendent realms of the imagination where form and color become a mystic language understood by that part of our Higher Self that is ever beckoning us onward to the sacred indescribable.

An excerpt from Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Prog-Rock Underground (But Were Afraid to Ask) by Jim DeRogatis

By Jim DeRogatis @ http://www.jimdero.com

"What really makes ELP a dinosaur potentate is the sheer scale of the noise they emit.... This is robot music mixmastered by human modules who deserve purple hearts for managing to keep the gadgets reined at all. I went, I saw, I drowned.... Three egos exploding tight as a rapacious cyclotron and slick as Gorgo’s dildo."

Lester Bangs on Emerson, Lake and Palmer, 1972

"Jon Pareles argues that if we honor high school punks we should also honor high school poets. I say we stick to high school punk poets."

Robert Christgau on Van Der Graaf Generator, 1974

"Why British bands feel compelled to quote the classics, however tongue-in-cheek, leads into the murky waters of class and nation analysis.... The class divisions and the crushing weight of high culture flourish essentially untrammeled. Rockers seem far more eager to ‘dignify’ their work, to make it acceptable for upper-class approbation."

John Rockwell on progressive rock

The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll, 1978

More than any other genre in the music’s history, progressive rock has gotten a bum rap. "Pompous," "self-indulgent," "bloated," and "pretentious" were just a few of the critics’ favorite adjectives during the genre’s original heyday, generally acknowledged as 1968 to 1978. But today, the self-appointed arbiters of taste are perpetrating a slight that’s even more offensive than hurling insults: They’re ignoring it entirely.

Contrary to popular belief, the sounds that fans call "prog" did not end with the beginning of the punk era—even if the likes of the Clash did regularly mock Yes and its ilk, and the Sex Pistols’ Johnny Rotten was fond of wearing a homemade "I Hate Pink Floyd" T-shirt. Much like the so-called third wave of ska or the ever-active subterranean death-metal scene, prog continues to thrive as a vital underground music, in the U.S. and around the world. In fact, fans are not only prompting a critical reassessment of many of the originators who’ve long been dissed as dinosaurs. They’re bringing the music forward into the new millennium.

"In modern music circles, prog is still overwhelmingly identified with the old-school ‘dinosaurs’ like Genesis, ELP, Yes and Jethro Tull," says Sean Meistro, the host of an underground prog show at the University of Vermont’s radio station. "New-school prog bands face the problem of being compared to the dinosaurs. They can’t get signed—no majors are interested in prog, not since the ’76 revolution—but they still get the animosity of the indie rock world for being progressive and ‘uncool.’ The underground prog scene is somewhat isolated from the rest of the indie-rock world, but the loyalty and fanaticism of prog enthusiasts is amazing."

Because Meistro’s show can be accessed from the Internet, he says he gets phone calls and e-mail from people worldwide who are hungry for prog and unable to hear the music in their areas. A typical play list will include obscure prog veterans such as Happy the Man, Gong, and M.U. as well as relatively new ’90s groups such as Present and Spock’s Beard.

"When we started the band, we were completely unaware that there even was a prog underground," says Spock’s Beard guitarist Neal Morse. The group was formed in 1992 by several friends in Los Angeles who yearned to hear new music along the lines of the complicated but rewarding sounds once made by their heroes in Yes and Genesis. Taking their name from Leonard Nimoy’s ultra-rare facial hair (it lasted one episode on the original Star Trek), they released two independent discs that each sold about 2,000 copies.

Now Spock’s Beard has been signed to Metal Blade for its new album, The Kindness of Strangers. "In the beginning, we thought we were the only ones who still liked this music," Morse says. "Then we discovered that there’s actually a burgeoning scene out there, and we just hadn’t been aware of it. A lot of people aren’t, but we feel we’ve been really lucky to be embraced by it."

* * *

Unlike many rock genres, prog is well aware of its history.

Prog progenitors such as King Crimson, the Moody Blues, the Nice (featuring Keith Emerson on keyboards), and Procul Harum ("A Whiter Shade of Pale") emerged in England in 1968 shortly after the fabled Summer of Love. They were a direct outgrowth of the psychedelic explosion: The doors of perception that were thrown open by psychedelic rockers such as the Pink Floyd, the Creation, and the Beatles of Revolver and Sgt. Pepper’s—not to mention the plentiful drugs—encouraged wide-ranging stylistic exploration.

Suddenly rock was incorporating elements of classical music, jazz, the avant garde, world beat, and ancient Celtic folk music. This paved the way for the "symphonic" bands of 1970—probably the most famous names in prog. "Yes couldn’t have played the kind of music it made without having the experience of developing the freedom and total nonconformist approach that came from the psychedelic bands," Steve Howe has said.

Through the mid-’70s, Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Genesis, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, and dozens of lesser-known bands crystallized the sound that fans came to know and love, and which critics roundly reviled. In his book Listening to the Future: The Time of Progressive Rock 1968-1978, Bill Martin pinpoints five traits that define the genre.

1) It is visionary and experimental.

2) It is played, at least in significant part, on instruments typically associated with rock music.

3) It is played, in significant part, by musicians who have consummate instrumental and compositional skills.

4) It is a phenomenon, in its core, of English culture.

5) It is expressive of romantic and prophetic aspects of that culture.

Point one is pretty much up to the ears of the listener; one man’s breakthrough or innovation might be another’s failed experiment. Point three is where many critics had problems: It seemed to eliminate any rocker who didn’t have the chops to keep up. But just because it became obvious in the wake of punk that you didn’t really have to know how to play your instrument in order to make great rock ’n’ roll, that didn’t make the converse false. Who said you couldn’t make great rock if you did know how to play? 

An excerpt from Lucas Biela's “Development of Progressive Rock” of ProgArchives:

The 80s
The progressive rock was supplanted by the "punk movement" at the end of the seventies, a "music" which aim was to prove that everyone could play music. "Punk" gave rise to the cold wave in the eighties and prog rock was reduced to what was called neo progressive (a simpler form of the symphonic prog but with much present drums), and an embryo of what became at the beginning of the nineties the metal prog . SAGA were probably the first to play this neo prog, but MARILLION, IQ and PENDRAGON are the best representatives of this sub-genre. Landmarq albums include "Misplaced Childhood" by MARILLION, "Masquerade Overture ('96)" by PENDRAGON and "Ever" by IQ.

The 90s
Metal prog developed with DREAM THEATER's "Images And Words". However, in the eighties some groups were already playing a heavy metal based progressive music : QUEENSRYCHE, FATES WARNING, WATCHTOWER. Thanks to Mike Varney in the USA, who founded the prog label Magna Carta, and in Europe the Inside Out Label. Apart from metal prog. SPOCK'S BEARD were playing a symphonic prog with references to GENTLE GIANT and GENESIS and ECHLOLYN and IZZ were playing a music closer to neo prog. In the Northern Europe, a Scandinavian symphonic prog scene developed with bands such as The FLOWER KJINGS, ANGLAGARD and SINKADUS, A post RIO scene also developed with DJAM KARET, THINKING PLAGUE… Some groups play jazz-fusion : KENSO, CARTOONE, DEUS EX MACHINA. PORCUPINE TREE and OZRIC TENACLES play space rock. COLLAGE, CLEPSYDRA are great bands hat are strongly influenced by IQ and MARILLION.

Thus, in the nineties you have a revival of the prog scene not only with the appearance of a new sub-genre : metal prog but also with bands playing the styles developed in the seventies.

I hope these informations will help you in your investigation.

Written by Lucas BIELA 

Cynic – Focus – Robert Venosa 1993 American Born 1936

Cynic – Portal Demos – Robert Venosa 2012 American Born 1936

Tool – Aenima – Keith Willis 1996

Animals As Leaders – Animals As Leaders- Aaron March 2009

Scale the Summit – The Collective – Chris Letchford 2011 American Born 1984

Converge – Axe to Fall – Jacob Bannon 2009 American Born 1976

Dream Theater – Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory – Dave McKean 2000 UK Born 1963

The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet – Sonny Kay 2011 UK Born 1972

My Bloody Valentine – Loveless – Bilinda Butcher 1991 UK Born 1963

The Devin Townsend Band – Ki – Konrad Palkiewicz 2009

Tool – 10,000 Days – Alex Grey 2006 American Born 1953

Tree of Knowledge – Martina Hoffman 2008 German Born

Body/Mind as a Vibratory Field of Energy – Alex Grey 1987 American Born 1953

Angel Manifestation – Robert Venosa 2011 American Born 1936

Smith- Research and Content

Title: Ritual

Museum: I want this is be shown at univeristies across the nation that have a strong Greek Life presence, I have chosen the Sarah Moody Gallery at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Fall 2013. 

Foreword:

Ritual, secrecy, tradition and brotherhood are the foundation of Greek Fraternal principles. The exhibition, which titled “Ritual”, will display Greek Life division pages from vintage yearbooks all of which depict classic symbols of these secret social societies. Most images are hand rendered and have a very dark, macabre, foreboding feel. Skulls and crossbones and black hooded capes are a repeating motif.

The exhibition is to be shown in on-campus gallery located at a university with a rich Greek Life history. The audience intended for the exhibition to attract would be current collegiate members of fraternities and sororities as well as alumnus. I would also hope to attract individuals who are unfamiliar or who do not think highly of Greek Life to view the exhibition.

The goal for individuals who have no Greek ties viewing the vintage Greek yearbook art to gain a better understanding of the importance of ritual, brotherhood and history that ties Greeks from all generations together. This exhibition should also serve as a reminder for current members of these societies to not forget where they came from and what the rituals and symbolism stand for. As for the old Greeks, one can hope they look at the artwork and are reminded of the good old days.

Essays: 

Why Secrecy?: Understanding the Ritual and You

http://www.tkecentral.net/doclib/hypo/TKEnet%20Why%20Secrecy.pdf

The Secret Thoughts of a Ritual by Edward M. King, Sigma Chi

http://www.phigam.org/Document.Doc?id=1511

liberman_research_and_content

 

Title: Prismatic

Location/Date: Palm Springs Art Museum in California, June 2013

Foreword: This exhibit will showcase contemporary colored-glass artwork. Not only will there be glass chandeliers and panel pieces but there will also be glass sculptures. Through descriptions of the art pieces, people will learn or have a better understanding on how glass art is made and what many glasswork artists try to accomplish when creating an art piece. When leaving the exhibit, one will have a greater appreciation of glass and abstract artwork.

Exhibit Essays:

·      Glass in Nature

http://www.cmog.org/article/glass-nature#.UVEt4mhgP0c

·      Robert Willson—Bringing Life to Solid Glass
http://www.cmog.org/article/robert-willson-bringing-life-solid-glass#.UVEw_mhgP0c
·      David Alcala - Sand to Glass
http://www.fxnglass.com/fxnglass/Fxnglass.html

·      [Fun Fact] Jobs in 19^th Century Glass Factory

http://www.cmog.org/article/jobs-19th-century-glass-factory#.UVExlWhgP0c

Images: attached

Captions: includes artist, title of work, year; depending on image and its purpose, there may be information on what technique(s) was used and/or a short description on the purpose/meaning of the work

Artists:

·      Jon Goldberg

·      Nancy Callan

·      Shayna Leib 

·      Dorothy Hafner

·      Jon Kuhn 

·      Dale Chihuly

·      Ethel and Arthur Furman (retailers, exhibit sponsors?)

Production / Page Format:

·      Vertical, 8” x 5” – good size for large images and small enough for it not to be necessary for the text (placed underneath or above the images) to be in columns

·      The page size is an appropriate size for the images to be large on the page and receive the most focus.  (Some page layouts will include only exhibit pieces and captions.) The chosen format is also a great format for the essays that will be included—it would be easy and fast to read and columns are not necessary! However, the text of some the images’ short descriptions may be split into 2 columns.

·      Transparency (possibly for several full-page images) and glossy paper

·      Book Sections:

-       Front Cover

-       Table of Contents

-       Exhibit Artists & Artwork (imagery, descriptions, some biographies)

-       What is Glass?

-       Glass Techniques

-       Facts on Glass Materials

-       Back Cover

    *Blank Pages behind/front of cover pages—no white, abstract images with colors (carries on the exhibit theme)

Typography:

·      One typeface set in four different ways (Header, Sub-Header, Text, Captions)

    * Vary by weight, italic, etc.

    * Only one type shows consistency

·      The simple, no-serif, thin-lined type will further carry on the contemporary theme of the exhibit.

·      Font Color: black

    * Colored text may take attention away from the images.

Grid System:

       ·      Margins: 3p0 (0.5”)

       ·      Gutter: 1p0 ?

       ·      Columns: 2

           * MOST text will not be in columns

       ·      Width of text columns: 11.25p0 (1.875”)

       ·      Gutter width between columns: .75p0 (0.125”)

       ·      Spacing between images/images & images/text: 1.5p0 (0.25”)

Imagery:

       ·      CYMK Printing

       ·      Photographs only

       ·      Images are placed within page margins

       ·      Pages with only images will consist of one photograph on top and the other below the caption of the top one. Some pages may have two images side by side with short descriptions below.

       ·      Images will further elaborate and showcase the beauty of contemporary glass art.

Additional Notes:

Quote: “Glass has incredible strength. Its raw materials are common and cheap. It's made using sand and fire. And it turns into a liquid. Imagine... the sand turns into a liquid!” - Dale Chihuly

Qualities of Glass:

       ·      Glass is a pure and sustainable material capable of being recycled indefinitely.

       ·      Its structure does not deteriorate through the recycling process.

       ·      Glass can be pasteurized, sterilized, used in the microwave, has a long shelf life, reduces food waste, and maintains high levels of carbonation and vacuum.

       ·      Glass protects against the effects of light and temperature for longer than most other materials.

       ·      Glass is re-sealable, fridge-friendly, able to be filled at high speeds and is inert during use and post consumption.

       ·      Glass will not taint food and drink products stored or served from them.

       ·      For the consumer there is an association of quality with glass products.

       ·      The aesthetic quality of glass enhances the desire for the product.

       ·      Glass is made (in many cases) from locally sourced raw materials.

            * include page(s) stating fun facts about qualities/characteristics of glass material

Techniques:

       ·      http://www.tukeandbloom.com/techniques.html

       ·      http://www.bokrosh.com/glass-art-sculpture.html

           * include pages explaining different techniques in making glass

Notes to Self:

       ·      Second-choice trimming size: 9” x 7”

       ·      Stained glass wall assembled to separate sections of exhibit

       ·      Chandeliers and panels hang from ceiling to elaborate lightness and away from walls

       ·      Large sculptors on floor or on pedestals